Some owners may be successful with NOT teaching their dogs proper play and appropriate behavior in general. But that is not a rule, it’s merely pure luck. They are lucky to have a dog that is either not very interested in their things or it is so sensitive that if the owner shows even only a modest sign of discontent that leads to the dog not making the mistake again. Our former dog Fancy was such a sensitive individual. She had the finest antennas for things she was not supposed to do, without training or a lot of supervision. But, again, these are exceptions and not the rule.
When we find out that our dogs “disrespect” our belongings, we eventually give in and put them away or secure them. OR we actually show our dogs that we don’t want them to touch our items.
That is true for furniture, clothing and other personal things. In terms of toys the first solution of owners is often a different one: They start looking for something more durable – not being aware of the fact that this will NOT address the real problem.
Affordable relief is right around the corner
I have yet to encounter the “indestructible toy” – but to be honest, I am no longer searching for it.
I know this may be a disappointment to one or the other reader. But actually, the situation is not that bad at all!
There is a lot we can do to achieve a comfortable situation for everyone. And even a very aggressive chewer can learn not to destroy everything. Because after all the dog CARES for what we like. We only have to communicate that to our Bull Terrier. That does not even cost nearly as much as buying new toys all the time!
When I realized how many different goals I can actually achieve by “training” and communicating with my dog, I pretty soon got to the idea: “Why not try to teach her how I WANT her to play and how I DON’T want her to treat hers and my things”.
Surprisingly being around to stop unwanted behavior right when it happens or even BEFORE – because sometimes you already notice early signs – works really great! And training works even better! I am for sure not the first person to have tried this, because looking at the many different things dogs are able to learn by training, this is kind of a no-brainer.
Yet, I feel like many owners do not even consider this possibility and instead keep hunting for the “perfect toy”, which many of them probably will never find.
